From BZ/dpa
They pushed him off his bike, threatened him with weapons and handcuffed him: an operation against a 13-year-old over a water pistol has sparked new criticism of the London police.
The Alliance for Police Accountability (APA) emphasized on Thursday that the water guns were clearly toys, one was white and blue and one was purple and white. The boy had been having a water fight with his younger sibling on July 19 when a police officer on patrol reported a potential firearms incident. Armed units were then sent to the alleged crime scene.
The 13-year-old, who is only called Child X for personal rights reasons, was only released when his mother confronted the officers, APA said. But she was also treated “with contempt” by the police.
No misconduct?
Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway apologized to the family. However, an internal investigation revealed no wrongdoing. “Our officers are faced with rapidly evolving situations based on limited information available to them at this time,” Conway said. The threat is so great that officials should treat all firearms as real, loaded weapons until proven otherwise.
A racial bias complaint is still under investigation by the appropriate police department.
London’s Metropolitan Police has long been criticized. An independent investigation found that the agency was institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic. Police Chief Mark Rowley admitted that hundreds of employees were actually unsuitable for the job.